JP6792372B2 - Image processing equipment, control methods, programs, and storage media - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to image processing devices, control methods, programs, and storage media.

In recent years, an increasing number of models of imaging devices such as digital cameras have a function of recording an image output from an imaging sensor on a recording medium as a RAW image without processing the image. A RAW image can be displayed as, for example, a full-color image by performing a process called development. Generally, the development process for a RAW image is performed non-destructively by using an image processing function possessed by an external image processing device or an imaging device. Some image pickup devices can record a RAW image and a developed image such as a JPEG image together. In this case, the RAW image is subjected to development processing at the time of shooting to generate a JPEG image, and the development parameters used during the development processing are recorded in the RAW image file together with the RAW image. For the RAW image recorded in this way, the user specifies arbitrary development parameters as post-processing, adjusts the image quality, and performs the development processing, so that the RAW image can be developed according to the user's preference. Can be obtained.

When the user adjusts the image quality of a RAW image such as brightness adjustment and contrast adjustment using an imaging device, the development parameters are selected and the values are adjusted, for example, brightness ± 0 and contrast +2. Then, the imaging device performs development processing on the RAW image based on the adjusted development parameters. When the number of pixels of a RAW image is large, if the imaging device develops the RAW image every time the user adjusts the image quality, the processing time is required each time. On the other hand, in Patent Document 1, when the display magnification is less than the same magnification, the smaller the display magnification is, the smaller the proportion of pixels is extracted from the RAW image, and the developed processing is performed on some of the extracted pixels. , A technique for previewing the image obtained thereby is disclosed. As a result, the time required for confirming the image quality adjustment result can be shortened.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-251166

As an image quality adjustment for a RAW image, both color processing parameters such as white balance and image size parameters such as resizing processing (pixel number change processing) may be changed. In this case, even if the user compares the developed images corresponding to the parameters before and after the change, the change in image quality before and after the parameter change is due to the change in the color processing parameters or the change in the parameters related to the image size. It is difficult to determine if it is. This is because the process of reducing the number of pixels for resizing is a process that may change the tint (for example, a process of determining the color of a specific pixel after resizing based on the color of a plurality of pixels before resizing. ) May be involved.

Therefore, for example, even if the user wants to confirm the effect of changing the color processing parameter on the image quality, the change of the parameter related to the image size also affects the image quality, so that the effect of adjusting the color processing parameter on the image quality Difficult to confirm.

The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and when performing image processing by adjusting a plurality of image processing parameters, the user confirms the influence of the adjustment of some image processing parameters on the image quality. The purpose is to make things easier.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention includes a changing means for changing the parameters relating to image processing on the original image in accordance with a user operation, to the original image, a parameter after being changed by the changing means Based on the first image processing, the first image is generated, the first image is controlled to be displayed as an image after changing the parameters, and the original image is changed by the changing means. generating a second image by performing the second image processing based on the previous parameter has a display control means for displaying the second image as a parameter changing previous image, the said When a predetermined parameter for changing the number of pixels is changed by the changing means, the display control means performs a second image processing based on the parameter before being changed by the changing means with respect to the original image. when the execution, executes the second image processing using a parameter after being changed by the changing means for said predetermined parameter, to provide an image processing apparatus according to claim and this.

In addition, other features of the present invention will be further clarified by the accompanying drawings and the description in the form for carrying out the following invention.

According to the present invention, when performing image processing by adjusting a plurality of image processing parameters, it is possible to make it easier for the user to confirm the influence of the adjustment of some image processing parameters on the image quality. Become.

External view of the digital camera 100. The block diagram which shows the structural example of the digital camera 100. Flowchart of RAW development process. The flowchart of the parameter change process (S308). The flowchart of the comparison process (S417). The figure which shows the display example (before parameter change) of a parameter adjustment screen. The figure which shows the display example (after WB change) of a parameter adjustment screen. The figure which shows the display example (after changing WB and the number of recorded pixels) of a parameter adjustment screen. The figure which shows the display example of the image after changing a parameter on a comparison screen. The figure which shows the display example of the image before the parameter change on the comparison screen. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display example when enlarged from the state of FIG. 6D. The figure which shows the display example when the switching operation is performed from the state of FIG. 6F. The figure explaining the influence which the change of the WB setting value and the number of recording pixels has on the image quality. The figure which shows the display example of a parameter icon.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The technical scope of the present invention is determined by the scope of claims, and is not limited by the following individual embodiments. Also, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the present invention.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is an external view of a digital camera 100, which is an example of an image processing device. In FIG. 1, the display unit 28 is a display unit that displays images and various information. The shutter button 61 is an operation unit for giving a shooting instruction. The mode changeover switch 60 is an operation unit for switching various modes. The connector 112 is a connector between the connection cable 111 for connecting to an external device such as a personal computer or a printer and the digital camera 100. The operation unit 70 is an operation unit including operation members such as various switches, buttons, and a touch panel that receive various operations from the user. The controller wheel 73 is a rotation-operable operating member included in the operating unit 70. The power switch 72 is a push button for switching between power on and power off. The recording medium 200 is a recording medium such as a memory card or a hard disk. The recording medium slot 201 is a slot for storing the recording medium 200. The recording medium 200 stored in the recording medium slot 201 can communicate with the digital camera 100, and can record and play back. The lid 202 is a lid of the recording medium slot 201. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the lid 202 is opened and a part of the recording medium 200 is taken out from the recording medium slot 201 to be exposed.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the digital camera 100. In FIG. 2, the photographing lens 103 is a lens group including a zoom lens and a focus lens. The shutter 101 is a shutter having an aperture function. The image pickup unit 22 is an image pickup device composed of a CCD, a CMOS element, or the like that converts an optical image into an electric signal. The A / D converter 23 converts an analog signal into a digital signal. The A / D converter 23 is used to convert an analog signal output from the imaging unit 22 into a digital signal. The barrier 102 covers the imaging system including the photographing lens 103 of the digital camera 100 to prevent the imaging system including the photographing lens 103, the shutter 101, and the imaging unit 22 from being soiled or damaged.

The image processing unit 24 performs resizing processing such as predetermined pixel interpolation and reduction and color conversion processing on the data from the A / D converter 23 or the data from the memory control unit 15. Further, in the image processing unit 24, a predetermined calculation process is performed using the captured image data, and the system control unit 50 performs exposure control and distance measurement control based on the obtained calculation result. As a result, TTL (through-the-lens) AF (autofocus) processing, AE (autoexposure) processing, and EF (flash pre-flash) processing are performed. Further, the image processing unit 24 performs a predetermined calculation process using the captured image data, and also performs a TTL method AWB (auto white balance) process based on the obtained calculation result.

The output data from the A / D converter 23 is written to the memory 32 via the image processing unit 24 and the memory control unit 15 or via the memory control unit 15. The memory 32 stores image data obtained by the imaging unit 22 and converted into digital data by the A / D converter 23, and image data for display on the display unit 28. The memory 32 has a storage capacity sufficient to store a predetermined number of still images, moving images for a predetermined time, and audio. Further, the memory 32 also serves as a memory (video memory) for displaying an image.

The D / A converter 13 converts the image display data stored in the memory 32 into an analog signal and supplies it to the display unit 28. In this way, the image data for display written in the memory 32 is displayed by the display unit 28 via the D / A converter 13. The display unit 28 displays on a display such as an LCD according to the analog signal from the D / A converter 13. The digital signal once A / D converted by the A / D converter 23 and stored in the memory 32 is analog-converted by the D / A converter 13 and sequentially transferred to the display unit 28 for display. It functions as an electronic viewfinder (EVF). As a result, through image display (live view display) can be performed.

The non-volatile memory 56 is a memory as a recording medium that can be electrically erased and recorded, and for example, EEPROM or the like is used. The non-volatile memory 56 stores constants, programs, and the like for the operation of the system control unit 50. The program referred to here is a computer program for executing various flowcharts described later in this embodiment.

The system control unit 50 is a control unit having at least one processor and controls the entire digital camera 100. The system control unit 50 realizes each process of the present embodiment described later by executing the program recorded in the non-volatile memory 56 described above. RAM is used as the system memory 52. In the system memory 52, constants and variables for the operation of the system control unit 50, a program read from the non-volatile memory 56, and the like are expanded. The system control unit 50 also controls the display by controlling the memory 32, the D / A converter 13, the display unit 28, and the like.

The system timer 53 is a time measuring unit that measures the time used for various controls and the time of the built-in clock. The mode changeover switch 60, the shutter button 61, and the operation unit 70 are operation units for inputting various operation instructions (user instructions) to the system control unit 50. The mode changeover switch 60 switches the operation mode of the system control unit 50 to any one of a still image recording mode, a moving image shooting mode, a playback mode, and the like. The modes included in the still image recording mode include an auto shooting mode, an auto scene discrimination mode, a manual mode, an aperture priority mode (Av mode), and a shutter speed priority mode (Tv mode). In addition, there are various scene modes, program AE modes, custom modes, etc. that are shooting settings for each shooting scene. The mode changeover switch 60 directly switches to any of these modes. Alternatively, after switching to the shooting mode list screen once with the mode changeover switch 60, one of the displayed plurality of modes may be selected and switched using another operating member. Similarly, the moving image shooting mode may include a plurality of modes.

The first shutter switch 62 is turned on by a so-called half-press (shooting preparation instruction) during the operation of the shutter button 61 provided on the digital camera 100, and the first shutter switch signal SW1 is generated. The system control unit 50 starts operations such as AF (auto focus) processing, AE (auto exposure) processing, AWB (auto white balance) processing, and EF (flash pre-flash) processing by the first shutter switch signal SW1.

The second shutter switch 64 is turned on when the operation of the shutter button 61 is completed, so-called full pressing (shooting instruction), and the second shutter switch signal SW2 is generated. The system control unit 50 starts a series of shooting processing operations from reading the signal from the imaging unit 22 to writing an image on the recording medium 200 by the second shutter switch signal SW2.

In the shooting process started in response to the second shutter switch signal SW2, the following processing is performed. First, exposure for a set exposure time is performed, and imaging is performed by the imaging unit 22. The signal captured by the imaging unit 22 is converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 23 and stored in the memory 32 as a RAW image. The system control unit 50 uses the image processing unit 24 to perform development processing (development processing) including filter processing, color adjustment processing based on information such as white balance and autofocus, and the like on the RAW image stored in the memory 32. Develop processing at the time of shooting). The developed image (YUV data) developed by the image processing unit 24 is stored in the memory 32 again, and is JPEG-compressed by the image processing unit 24 to generate a JPEG image. As a shooting setting, there is a setting (RAW + JPEG) for storing both a RAW image and a JPEG image. When this setting is used, the system control unit 50 records the RAW image stored in the memory 32 as a RAW image file and the generated JPEG image as a JPEG file on the recording medium 200, respectively. When a setting for storing only a JPEG image is used as a shooting setting, the system control unit 50 records the generated JPEG image as a JPEG file on the recording medium 200 without recording the RAW image stored in the memory 32. To do. When a setting for storing only RAW images is used as the shooting setting, the system control unit 50 records the RAW image stored in the memory 32 on the recording medium 200 as a RAW image file. In the RAW image file, the development parameters used for the development process at the time of shooting (hereinafter, simply referred to as "parameters"), the ID information of the captured digital camera, the setting information of the captured digital camera, etc. are stored as attribute information. To. In addition, the generated JPEG image is recorded in the RAW image file for simple confirmation of the RAW image. The JPEG image recorded in the RAW image file for simple confirmation of the RAW image is referred to as a display JPEG.

Each operation member of the operation unit 70 is assigned a function as appropriate for each scene by selecting and operating various function icons displayed on the display unit 28, and acts as various function buttons. Examples of the function button include an end button, a back button, an image feed button, a jump button, a narrowing down button, an attribute change button, and the like. For example, when the menu button is pressed, various settable menu screens are displayed on the display unit 28. The user can intuitively make various settings by using the menu screen displayed on the display unit 28 and the up / down / left / right four-direction buttons and the SET button. The digital camera 100 may include a touch panel (touch operation member) capable of detecting a contact operation with the display unit 28 as a part of the operation unit 70. The controller wheel 73 is a rotation-operable operation member included in the operation unit 70, and is used when instructing a selection item together with a direction button.

The power supply control unit 80 is composed of a battery detection circuit, a DC-DC converter, a switch circuit for switching a block to be energized, and the like, and detects whether or not a battery is installed, the type of battery, and the remaining battery level. Further, the power supply control unit 80 controls the DC-DC converter based on the detection result and the instruction of the system control unit 50, and supplies a necessary voltage to each unit including the recording medium 200 for a necessary period.

The power supply unit 30 includes a primary battery such as an alkaline battery or a lithium battery, a secondary battery such as a NiCd battery, a NiMH battery, or a Li battery, an AC adapter, or the like. The recording medium I / F18 is an interface with a recording medium 200 such as a memory card or a hard disk. The recording medium 200 is a recording medium such as a memory card for recording a captured image, and is composed of a semiconductor memory, an optical disk, a magnetic disk, or the like.

The communication unit 54 connects to an external device by a wireless or wired cable, and transmits / receives a video signal, an audio signal, and the like. The communication unit 54 can also be connected to a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet. The communication unit 54 can transmit an image (including a through image) captured by the image pickup unit 22 and an image recorded on the recording medium 200, and can receive an image and various other information from an external device. it can.

The posture detection unit 55 detects the posture of the digital camera 100 with respect to the direction of gravity. Based on the posture detected by the posture detection unit 55, the system control unit 50 captures whether the image captured by the imaging unit 22 is an image captured by holding the digital camera 100 horizontally or vertically. It is possible to determine whether the image is a digital camera. The system control unit 50 adds orientation information according to the posture detected by the posture detection unit 55 to the image file of the image captured by the image pickup unit 22, or rotates and records the image according to the posture. It is possible. As the posture detection unit 55, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, or the like can be used.

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of RAW development processing in the digital camera 100. This process is started when the digital camera 100 is activated, the menu screen is displayed, and the RAW development menu item is selected from the menu items displayed in the list. This process is realized by expanding the program recorded in the non-volatile memory 56 into the system memory 52 and executing it by the system control unit 50.

In S301, the system control unit 50 accepts an image selection from the user. Specifically, the system control unit 50 displays a RAW image among the images recorded on the recording medium 200. Here, "displaying a RAW image" means displaying the display JPEG recorded in the RAW image file. However, if there is a RAW image file in which the display JPEG is not stored, the system control unit 50 displays the RAW image by developing with the settings at the time of shooting (parameters recorded in the RAW image file). You may. Alternatively, the system control unit 50 may display a RAW image by developing with a predetermined parameter recorded in the non-volatile memory 56 of the digital camera 100. Then, the system control unit 50 accepts an image selection operation from the user. The display of the RAW image may be a single image display (single display) or a multi-display that displays a list of a plurality of RAW images. Further, the digital camera 100 may be configured so that the single display and the multi-display can be switched by a user operation. In the case of single display, the user selects a desired RAW image by moving the image forward / backward using the left and right keys of the four-direction keys included in the operation unit 70. Further, in the case of multi-display, the user moves the image selection cursor with the four-direction keys included in the operation unit 70 to select a desired image. When the SET button included in the operation unit 70 is pressed when the desired image is selected, the system control unit 50 displays the development method selection screen. On the development method selection screen, three options of "development by setting at the time of shooting", "development by fine setting", and "stop" are displayed. The user can select one of these three options by operating the four-way button and pressing the SET button. When the system control unit 50 displays the development method selection screen, the process proceeds to S302.

In S302, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not "development with settings at the time of shooting" is selected and the SET button is pressed on the development method selection screen. If "Development with shooting settings" is selected and the SET button is pressed, the process proceeds to S303, otherwise the process proceeds to S307.

In S303, the system control unit 50 displays a confirmation screen including a confirmation message "Do you want to develop and save?" And "Yes" and "No" options on the display unit 28. In the confirmation message here, it may be displayed asking whether the development to which the setting at the time of shooting (that is, the parameter recorded in the RAW image) is applied.

In S304, the system control unit 50 determines whether "Yes" or "No" for instructing the save is selected from the options on the confirmation screen. If "Yes" is selected, the process proceeds to S305, and if "No" is selected, the process proceeds to S302.

In S305, the system control unit 50 uses the image processing unit 24 to perform development processing with settings at the time of shooting (that is, parameters recorded in the RAW image file). The system control unit 50 JPEG-compresses the YUV data generated as a result of RAW development and records it on the recording medium 200 as a JPEG image file. The JPEG image file recorded here has basically the same image quality as the display JPEG of the RAW image file of the developing source.

In S306, the system control unit 50 displays a confirmation message asking whether to continue developing, and determines whether or not an instruction operation for continuously developing has been performed. If the instruction operation for subsequent development is performed, the process proceeds to S301. If not, the RAW development process of this flowchart ends, and the system control unit 50 returns the display unit 28 to the menu screen.

In S307, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not "finely set and develop" is selected and the SET button is pressed on the development method selection screen. If "finely set and develop" is selected and the SET button is pressed, the process proceeds to S308, otherwise the process proceeds to S309.

In S308, the system control unit 50 performs a parameter change process. The details of the parameter change processing will be described later with reference to FIG.

In S309, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not "stop" is selected and the SET button is pressed on the development method selection screen. When "Cancel" is selected and the SET button is pressed, the RAW development process of this flowchart ends, and the system control unit 50 returns the display unit 28 to the menu screen. If not, the process proceeds to S302 and waits for a selection operation from the user on the development method selection screen.

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of the parameter change process (S308) performed by the digital camera 100. This process is a detail of the process of S308 in FIG. 3 described above. This process is realized by expanding the program recorded in the non-volatile memory 56 into the system memory 52 and executing it by the system control unit 50.

In S401, the system control unit 50 develops the RAW image selected in S301 of FIG. 3 using the image processing unit 24 with the settings at the time of shooting (that is, the parameters recorded in the RAW image file). Perform processing to generate a developed image. Further, the system control unit 50 stores the parameters acquired from the RAW image file (that is, the parameters used in the development process) in the system memory 52.

In S402, the system control unit 50 displays a parameter adjustment screen including the developed image and a plurality of display items for parameter adjustment on the display unit 28. A display example of the parameter adjustment screen is shown in FIG. 6A. Display items 601 to 604 for adjusting various parameters, save icon 605, comparison icon 606a, etc. are displayed on the developed image 610a. The display item 601 is an icon for adjusting noise reduction, which is one of the parameters. The display item 602 is an icon for adjusting the brightness (brightness), which is one of the parameters. The display item 603 is an icon for adjusting the number of recorded pixels (image size) (first parameter), which is one of the parameters. The display item 604 is an icon for adjusting the white balance (WB) (second parameter), which is one of the parameters. Each display item also represents the current setting. The user can change the parameter corresponding to the selected display item by operating the controller wheel 73 included in the operation unit 70 with any one of the display items selected by the cursor 600. In addition, the user presses the SET button while selecting one of the display items with the cursor 600 to display the parameter change screen corresponding to the selected display item, and operates the operation unit 70 in that state. You can also change the parameters. The comparison icon 606a is a display item for comparing images before and after adjustment. The comparison icon 606a is displayed in a grayed out display form indicating invalidity in the initial state, and is effective when a parameter other than the number of recorded pixels is changed.

In S403, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the display item 604 is selected by the cursor 600 and the WB is changed. If there is a WB change operation, the process proceeds to S404, otherwise the process proceeds to S405.

In S404, the system control unit 50 updates the WB setting value among the parameters stored in the system memory 52 to the changed WB setting value. Subsequently, in S409, the system control unit 50 develops the RAW image selected in S301 of FIG. 3 based on the parameters (including the changed WB setting value) stored in the system memory 52. In S410, the system control unit 50 displays the image obtained by the development in S409. For example, when the WB change operation is performed from the state of FIG. 6A, the display unit 28 is changed to the display state shown in FIG. 6B. In FIG. 6B, the display item 604 shows the changed WB setting value (in the illustrated example, the "auto WB (AWB)" in FIG. 6A is changed to a "bulb"). Further, the image 610b displayed in FIG. 6B is a developed image corresponding to the result of development by changing the WB setting to a light bulb. Further, the comparison icon 606a is changed to the comparison icon 606b because it is activated by the process of S412 described later.

In S405, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the display item 603 is selected by the cursor 600 and the number of recorded pixels is changed. If there is an operation for changing the number of recorded pixels, the process proceeds to S406, otherwise the process proceeds to S407.

In S406, the system control unit 50 updates the number of recorded pixels among the parameters stored in the system memory 52 to the changed number of recorded pixels. Subsequently, in S409, the system control unit 50 develops the RAW image selected in S301 of FIG. 3 based on the parameters (including the changed number of recorded pixels) stored in the system memory 52. In S410, the system control unit 50 displays the image obtained by the development in S409. For example, when the operation of changing the number of recorded pixels is performed from the state of FIG. 6B, the display unit 28 is changed to the display state shown in FIG. 6C. In FIG. 6C, the display item 603 shows the changed number of recorded pixels. In the present embodiment, when the aspect ratio is 3: 2, L: horizontal 4500 × vertical 3000 pixels, M1: horizontal 3000 × vertical 2000 pixels, M2: 2400 × 1600 pixels, S1: vertical 1580 × horizontal 1080 pixels, S2 : It is assumed that there are 720 horizontal pixels and 480 vertical pixels. In the case of other aspect ratios, it is assumed that L, M1, M2, S1 and S2 have the same number of pixels as above. In the example of FIG. 6C, the number of recorded pixels is changed from L: horizontal 4500 × vertical 3000 pixels in FIG. 6B to S1: vertical 1580 × horizontal 1080 pixels. Further, the image 610b displayed in FIG. 6C is a developed image corresponding to the result of development by changing the setting of the number of recorded pixels to S1: vertical 1580 × horizontal 1080 pixels.

In S407, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not another display item is selected by the cursor 600 and there is a change operation for other parameters. If there is a change operation for other parameters, the process proceeds to S408, otherwise the process proceeds to S413.

In S408, the system control unit 50 updates the changed parameter among the parameters stored in the system memory 52 to the changed set value. Subsequently, in S409, the system control unit 50 develops the RAW image selected in S301 of FIG. 3 based on the parameters (including the changed parameters) stored in the system memory 52. In S410, the system control unit 50 displays the image obtained by the development in S409. At this time, the system control unit 50 changes each display item into a display form indicating the changed parameter. As a result, the user can confirm the adjustment result.

In S411, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not a parameter other than the number of recorded pixels has been changed from the initial value (parameter at the time of shooting applied in S401). If a parameter other than the number of recorded pixels is changed from the initial value, the process proceeds to S412, and if not (that is, if only the number of recorded pixels is changed), the process proceeds to S403.

In S412, the system control unit 50 changes the display form of the comparison icon displayed on the parameter adjustment screen to a display form indicating effectiveness. As a result, the comparison icon 606a, which was grayed out as shown in FIG. 6A, is changed to the comparison icon 606b, which is a display form indicating the valid state, as shown in FIG. 6B.

On the other hand, in S413, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not there has been an enlargement / reduction operation. The enlargement / reduction operation can be performed by operating the enlargement button or the reduction button included in the operation unit 70 or by pinching the touch panel provided integrally with the display unit 28. The pinch operation is a general term for operations in which two points are touched on the touch panel at the same time and the points are separated from each other (pinch out, which is an enlargement operation) and close to each other (pinch in, a reduction operation).

In S414, the system control unit 50 enlarges or reduces the developed image displayed on the parameter adjustment screen according to the enlargement / reduction operation received in S413.

In S415, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not there is a comparison instruction operation by pressing the INFORMATION button included in the operation unit 70 or touching the comparison icons 606a and 606b. If there is a comparison instruction operation, the process proceeds to S416, otherwise the process proceeds to S418.

In S416, the system control unit 50 determines whether the comparison icon is valid (that is, whether the comparison icon 606b is displayed). If the comparison icon is valid, the process proceeds to S417, and if not (that is, when the comparison icon 606a, which is a display form indicating an invalid state, is displayed), the process proceeds to S418.

In S417, the system control unit 50 performs a comparison process for comparing before and after the parameter adjustment performed in the parameter change process. The details of the comparison process will be described later with reference to FIG.

In S418, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not there has been a save instruction operation by touching the save icon 605 for instructing the save or by selecting the save icon 605 with the cursor 600 and pressing the SET button. To do. If there is a save instruction operation, the process proceeds to S419, and if not, the process proceeds to S423.

In S419, the system control unit 50 displays a confirmation screen including a confirmation message "Do you want to develop and save?" And "Yes" and "No" options on the display unit 28.

In S420, the system control unit 50 determines whether "Yes" or "No" for instructing the save is selected from the options on the confirmation screen. If "Yes" is selected, the process proceeds to S421, and if "No" is selected, the process proceeds to S423.

In S421, the system control unit 50 uses the image processing unit 24 to apply the parameters stored in the system memory 52 and adjusted by the parameter change processing to develop the selected RAW image. Do. The development process here is not the development process for previewing S409, but the main development. The system control unit 50 JPEG-compresses the YUV data generated as a result of RAW development and records it on the recording medium 200 as a JPEG image file. Since the JPEG file recorded here reflects the adjustment of various parameters in the parameter change processing, the image quality is basically different from the display JPEG of the RAW image file of the developing source.

In S422, the system control unit 50 displays a confirmation message asking whether to continue developing, and determines whether or not an instruction operation for continuously developing has been performed. If the instruction operation for continuous development is performed, the process proceeds to S301. If not, the RAW development process (FIG. 3) including the parameter change process (FIG. 4) is completed, and the system control unit 50 displays the display unit. Return 28 to the menu screen.

In S423, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the operation member (for example, the menu button) for instructing the return, which is included in the operation unit 70, is pressed. If the operating member that gives the return instruction is operated, the process returns to S302 in FIG. 3, otherwise the process proceeds to S402. When the process returns from S423 to S302 in FIG. 3, the system control unit 50 redisplays the development method selection screen.

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of the comparison process (S417) performed by the digital camera 100. This process is realized by expanding the program recorded in the non-volatile memory 56 into the system memory 52 and executing it by the system control unit 50. The parameter change processing will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6C to 6G.

In S501, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the image displayed on the display unit 28 is an image after changing the parameters. Here, when proceeding to S501 for the first time, the comparison icon 606b is pressed by the user operation immediately before the transition, so that the image after the parameter change is displayed. If the image to be displayed is an image after changing the parameters, the process proceeds to S502, and if the image to be displayed is an image before changing the parameters (that is, when developing with the parameters at the time of shooting), the process proceeds to S505. ..

In S502, the system control unit 50 develops a RAW image (original image) with the changed parameters to generate a preview image (first image) corresponding to the changed parameters. In S503, the system control unit 50 displays a preview image on the display unit 28. In S504, the system control unit 50 displays a group of icons indicating parameters that can be adjusted by the user in the parameter change process in a form of being superimposed on the preview image displayed in S503. In this way, the image after changing the parameters is displayed on the comparison screen. FIG. 6D shows a display example of the image after changing the parameters on the comparison screen. FIG. 6D is a display example when the comparison instruction operation is performed from the display state of FIG. 6C. The image 610b is an image developed by reflecting the changed parameters. In the parameter group 620, the parameters changed from the initial settings are displayed in an identifiable manner (for example, in orange). In the example of FIG. 6D, the display item indicating the number of recorded pixels and the display item indicating the WB setting value are displayed in different colors from the other display items, and it can be seen that they are different from the initial settings.

In S505, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the number of recorded pixels among the various parameters has been changed from the setting at the time of shooting. If the number of recording pixels has been changed, the process proceeds to S506, otherwise the process proceeds to S507.

In S506, the system control unit 50 performs the developing process with the parameters before the change (at the time of shooting), but only for the number of recorded pixels, the system control unit 50 performs the developing process using the changed number of recorded pixels. As a result, a preview image (second image) corresponding to the image before the parameter change is generated.

In S507, the system control unit 50 performs development processing with the parameters before the change (at the time of shooting), and generates a preview image corresponding to the image before the parameter change.

In S508, the system control unit 50 displays the preview image generated in S506 or S507 on the display unit 28. In S509, the system control unit 50 displays a group of icons indicating parameters that can be adjusted by the user in the parameter change process, similarly to S504. FIG. 6E shows a display example of the image before changing the parameters on the comparison screen. FIG. 6E is a display example when a switching operation (described later) is performed from the display state of FIG. 6D. The image 610a'was obtained by developing the RAW image with the changed setting values for the number of recorded pixels (S1: 1580 vertical × 1080 horizontal) and the other parameters with the set values before the change. It is a developed image. The parameter group 620 is displayed so as to indicate the parameters at the time of shooting, not the parameters used to generate the image 610a'. Therefore, the display item corresponding to the number of recorded pixels has a display form indicating "L" instead of "S1". Further, unlike the case of FIG. 6D, since the parameter changed from the initial setting does not exist in the display item, the process of displaying the changed parameter in an identifiable manner is not performed. In the comparison screen, the parameter (S1) of the number of recorded pixels actually used for development in order to obtain the image 610a'is different from the setting (L) at the time of shooting displayed in the parameter group 620. Therefore, in order to reduce the possibility of misunderstanding that the image 610a'displayed by the user is developed by the setting (L) at the time of shooting, the parameter of the number of recorded pixels in the parameter group 620 is not displayed. It may be (hidden).

The image 610b of FIG. 6D and the image 610a'of FIG. 6E displayed on the comparison screen are images developed after changing the other parameters under the same conditions for the number of recorded pixels and before the change. Therefore, the difference (change) in image quality between the image 610b and the image 610a'to be compared is not affected by the difference in the number of recorded pixels (image size). Therefore, the user can more accurately confirm the difference in image quality that appears due to the adjustment of the color processing parameters and the like, excluding the influence of the difference in the number of recorded pixels. This effect becomes more remarkable as the image is enlarged as described later.

In S510, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not there has been an enlargement / reduction operation. The enlargement / reduction operation is the same as that described in S413 described above. If there is an enlargement / reduction operation, the process proceeds to S511, otherwise the process proceeds to S512.

In S511, the system control unit 50 enlarges or reduces the developed image displayed on the comparison screen according to the enlargement / reduction operation received in S510. FIG. 6F shows a display example when enlarged from the state of FIG. 6D. The enlarged display range (enlarged range) can be changed to any position by the user by operating the four-direction keys included in the operation unit 70 or touching the keys. Further, FIG. 6G shows a display example when there is a switching operation in S512 described later from the state of FIG. 6F. As shown in the figure, if there is a switching operation during the enlarged display on the comparison screen, the same range of the enlarged / reduced image with the same display magnification is displayed before and after the switching.

In S512, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not the image before the parameter change (setting at the time of shooting) and the image after the parameter change have been switched by the user operation. The switching operation can be performed, for example, by pressing the SET button included in the operation unit 70, or by touching a display item labeled "after change" or "setting at the time of shooting" at the lower left of the screen on the switching screen. If the switching operation is performed, the process proceeds to S501, and if not, the process proceeds to process S513.

In S513, the system control unit 50 determines whether or not to end the comparison process. If the comparison process is not completed, the process proceeds to S510. When the comparison process is finished (for example, when the user presses the back button), the process proceeds to S418 in FIG.

In FIG. 5, a step may be provided at a position immediately after the determination of YES in S505 to determine whether or not the enlarged display is being performed at a predetermined magnification or higher. The predetermined magnification is, for example, a state of the same pixel magnification (a state in which one recording pixel of an image is displayed on one pixel of the display unit 28). In this additional step, if the enlarged display is being performed at a predetermined magnification or higher, the process proceeds to S506, and if not, the process proceeds to S507. In other words, when the display magnification is determined to be less than the threshold value, the system control unit 50 also uses the parameter before the change for the number of recorded pixels when generating the preview image (third image) before the parameter change. ..

Here, the reason why it is difficult to confirm the influence on the image quality due to the change of the WB setting value when both the WB setting value and the number of recorded pixels are changed will be supplementarily described with reference to FIG. 7. This problem appears particularly prominently when confirming an image developed at the same pixel size. Therefore, as shown in image 701 in FIG. 7A, the case where the image is displayed at the same pixel size on the comparison screen will be described as an example. To do. Looking at the range of the human eye in image 701 in detail on a pixel-by-pixel basis, it can be represented by color A and color B as shown by the pixel group 702 (actually, the human eye is represented by only two colors. Is unnatural, but here it is expressed as this for convenience). Then, paying attention to the pixel pair 7001 in which the color A and the color B are adjacent to each other, the development process by designating an arbitrary parameter for this portion will be described with reference to FIG. 7B.

Here, as an example, it is assumed that the parameter at the time of shooting the image to be developed is "L" for the number of recorded pixels and the WB setting value is auto WB (AWB), and the parameter after the change by the user operation is the number of recorded pixels. It is assumed that the WB set value is a light bulb in "S1". When the changed parameters are applied to the pixel pair 7001 for development, the color D is generated as shown by the pixel 7022. This color D is produced by a thinning process by resizing to S1 size and a change in color of white balance. On the other hand, since the color tone changes due to the thinning process only by the resizing process to the S1 size, in that case, the color C is generated as shown by the pixel 7021.

Here, in order to confirm the change in color due to color adjustment (change of WB setting value), the pixel 7021 and the pixel 7022 are compared (comparison) instead of comparing the pixel pair 7001 and the pixel 7022 (comparison A). It is desirable to do B). Therefore, the system control unit 50 uses the value at the time of shooting for the WB setting value for the image before the parameter change, and develops the image using the changed setting value for the number of recorded pixels to obtain a preview image. Is generated (see S506). Then, the system control unit 50 displays the preview image thus generated on the display unit 28 (see S508). Further, the system control unit 50 switches and displays the images before and after the parameter change according to the switching operation. By doing so, it becomes easy for the user to determine whether the change in color due to the change in the number of recorded pixels or the change in color due to the change in the WB set value. As a result, the changed part of the development condition (parameter) becomes clear, and the user can efficiently perform the development process.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8A, when the preview image 811 before the parameter change is displayed on the comparison screen, the display item of the number of recorded pixels is “S1” indicating the number of recorded pixels actually applied. May be displayed (see reference numeral 813). By doing so, the user can see that the number of recorded pixels is actually aligned and compared (see preview images 811 and 812), so that the possibility of misleading the user can be reduced.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8B, the icon of the number of recorded pixels may be hidden (see reference numerals 823 and 824) before and after the parameter change (see preview images 821 and 822). When the user wants to know the change in color due to the color adjustment, it is desirable to let the user pay attention to the change in the WB setting value, and displaying the information on the number of recorded pixels on the comparison screen may be misleading. By hiding the icon for the number of recorded pixels, the occurrence of this problem can be suppressed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the digital camera 100 generates the preview image before the parameter change, the digital camera 100 develops the RAW image using the changed parameter with respect to the number of recorded pixels. This makes it easy for the user to determine whether the change in image quality due to the change in the parameter is due to the change in the number of recorded pixels or the change in another parameter (for example, the WB setting value).

In the above description, the WB setting value is mainly mentioned as a parameter to be changed other than the number of recorded pixels, but when another parameter (for example, the brightness indicated by the display item 602 in FIG. 6A) is changed. The same effect can be obtained.

Further, in the above description, it is assumed that the original image is a RAW image and the image processing according to the parameters is the development processing, but the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the same effect can be obtained when the original image is a developed JPEG image and image processing is performed on the JPEG image to change the number of pixels and the brightness.

Further, in the above description, the preview images before and after the parameter change are displayed alternately, but the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the system control unit 50 may simultaneously display the preview images before and after the parameter change on the display unit 28.

The above-mentioned various controls described as being performed by the system control unit 50 may be performed by one hardware, or the entire device may be controlled by sharing the processing among a plurality of hardware. ..

Further, although the present invention has been described in detail based on the preferred embodiment thereof, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various embodiments within the scope of the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention. included. Furthermore, each of the above-described embodiments is merely an embodiment of the present invention, and each embodiment can be combined as appropriate.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the digital camera 100 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this example, and any image processing apparatus that executes image processing according to image processing parameters can be used. Applicable. That is, the present invention can be applied to personal computers, PDAs, mobile phone terminals, portable image viewers, printer devices provided with displays, digital photo frames, and the like. The present invention is also applicable to a music player, a game machine, an electronic book reader, a tablet terminal, a smartphone, a projection device, a home appliance device including a display, an in-vehicle device, and the like.

[Other Embodiments]
The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiment to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or device reads and executes the program. It can also be realized by the processing to be performed. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

100 ... Digital camera, 24 ... Image processing unit, 28 ... Display unit, 50 ... System control unit, 52 ... System memory, 56 ... Non-volatile memory, 70 ... Operation unit, 200 ... Recording medium

Claims (18)

A changing means for changing the parameters related to image processing for the original image according to the user's operation, and
The original image is subjected to the first image processing based on the parameters after being changed by the changing means to generate the first image, and the first image is displayed as the image after the parameters are changed. The original image is subjected to the second image processing based on the parameters before being changed by the changing means to generate the second image, and the second image is used before the parameter is changed. It has a display control means for controlling the display as an image, and has
When a predetermined parameter for changing the number of pixels is changed by the changing means, the display controlling means is a second image based on the parameter before being changed by the changing means with respect to the original image. When executing the processing, the second image processing is executed using the parameters after the predetermined parameters have been changed by the changing means.
The image processing apparatus according to claim and this. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control means is controlled so as to display information indicating a parameter before being changed by the change means together with the second image. The image according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the display control means is controlled so as to display information indicating the predetermined parameter before being changed by the change means together with the second image. Processing equipment. The first or second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the display control means controls to display the second image and display information indicating the predetermined parameter after being changed by the changing means. The image processing apparatus described. Wherein the display control unit, together with the first image, in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the controller controls to display the information indicating the parameter after being changed by the changing means The image processing apparatus described. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the display control means controls so as to alternately display the first image and the second image. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the display control means controls to display the first image and the second image at the same time. Further provided with a determining means for determining the display magnification of the first image and the second image.
When the display magnification is less than the threshold, the display control unit generates a third image by performing a third image processing on the thus the original image parameters before being changed by the changing means, parameter The image processing according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the third image is controlled to be displayed at the display magnification instead of the second image as the image before the change. apparatus. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the original image is a RAW image. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the image processing is a development process. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9 or 10, further comprising an acquisition means for acquiring a parameter before being changed by the changing means from an image file containing the RAW image. The Rupa parameter acquiring means to acquire the image processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a parameter which is applied in the development went when shooting RAW image. Further equipped with imaging means
The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the RAW image is an image captured by the imaging means. Wherein the display control unit, in response to a user instruction to store the image reflecting the change by the change unit, wherein performs fourth image processing changes after Pas Ramee data therefore to said original image, said fourth The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the image generated by the image processing is controlled to be recorded in the recording means as an image file. Wherein the display control unit, in response to a user instruction to store the image based on predetermined parameters, performs a fifth image processing on the thus the original image the pre-change path Ramee data, said fifth image The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the image generated by the processing is controlled to be recorded in the recording means as an image file. It is a control method executed by the image processing device.
A change process that changes parameters related to image processing for the original image according to the user's operation ,
The original image is subjected to the first image processing based on the parameters after being changed by the change step to generate the first image, and the first image is displayed as the image after the parameter change. The original image is subjected to the second image processing based on the parameters before being changed by the changing step to generate the second image, and the second image is used before the parameter is changed. It has a display control process that controls to display as an image .
In the display control step, when a predetermined parameter for changing the number of pixels is changed by the changing step, a second image based on the parameter before being changed by the changing step with respect to the original image. When executing the processing, the second image processing is executed using the parameters after the predetermined parameters have been changed by the changing step.
Control wherein a call. A program for causing a computer to function as each means of the image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, 14, and 15. A computer-readable storage medium containing a program for causing the computer to function as each means of the image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, 14, and 15.